Untangling the relationship between red tape and performance: Exploring the relationship between red tape and various dimensions of performance in healthcare work units

Red tape is seen as a major challenge for public organization. Scholars and practitioners search for ways to decrease red tape to improve performance. However, evidence and understanding of how rules influence performance in a... [ view full abstract ]

Red tape is seen as a major challenge for public organization. Scholars and practitioners search for ways to decrease red tape to improve performance. However, evidence and understanding of how rules influence performance in a public context is lacking. This paper aims to provide more insight in the relationship between red tape and performance in a complex public service – healthcare. Conceptualizing red tape as rules with a high compliance burden and lacking functionality and performance as multidimensional, this study disentangles the red tape-performance relationship. Using data from employees in 49 work units and work unit performance as rated by supervisors, this study shows that lack of functionality and compliance burden are differently related to output, societal outcome, responsiveness and democratic outcome. The implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed.